Festive Herby Sausage Rolls

I’ve been making these sausage rolls since I was a teenager and traditionally I make them on Christmas Eve so they are as fresh as possible for the festivities.

My mum taught me to make rough puff pastry, it was so quick and easy and saved so much time compared with making full puff pastry so I continue to use rough puff pastry.

​I do make some earlier too and freeze them so if guests arrive unexpectedly I’ve always got some to serve at short notice.

If time is short you may wish to buy the pastry and that is fine.

Vegetarian sausage rollsIf you prefer not to eat meat buy vegetarian sausages or sausage mix to replace the sausage meat.

Gluten Free sausage rollsIf you wish buy gluten free puff pastry which is available in supermarkets or replace the 500g of plain flour with 500g of self raising gluten free flour

Set the oven for 220C fan, 200C conventional, gas 6Resources

Two baking sheets, greased

If you have them two silicon baking liners that don’t need to be greased.

2 little bowls, one containing water for sealing the pastry and one for the egg yolk glaze

Three pastry brushes

An empty small yogurt pot that you will use to measure equal sausage rolls.

Place a bottle of water in the fridge to chill really well and get the butter out of the fridge just before use.

Large disposable piping bag

Ingredients One quantity of Rough puff pastry or you may use a pack of All Butter ready made puff pastry.

For the pastry

500g plain flour plus extra for rolling out

500g very cold butter cut into small cubes

1 teaspoon fine sea salt

250ml ice-cold water

1 teaspoon of lemon juice

For the filling

500g of good quality sausage meat

50g dried cranberries or 50g of finely chopped Bramley apples

1 small onion very finely chopped

1 teaspoon of mixed dried herbs

1 teaspoon dried sage ( I grow my own and dry I in the autumn , store it in a jar and crush the leaves when I need them)

1/2 level teaspoon fine sea salt

1/4 teaspoon finely ground black pepper

For the glaze

1 egg yolk

3 teaspoons water

A few grains fine sea salt

MethodInto a pan place the the finely chopped onions and just cover with a little water, bring to the boil and simmer until soft and the liquid is reduced to almost gone.Stir in the dried cranberries to allow them to rehydrate a little.Remove from the heat and allow to cool.

To make the pastryPlace the flour in a large mixing bowl and make a well in the centre.Put the butter, salt into the flour and with your finger tips gently lift the butter and work it into small pieces, do not make so small that it disperses into the flour.Add the iced water and lemon juice retaining about 1/4 to make a soft dough. Add a little more water if required.At this point there will still be pieces of butter showing in the dough.Roll into a ball and flatten slightly. Wrap in cling film and place in the fridge for 20minutesWhilst the dough is chilling prepare the sausage meat filling.

To make the fillingPlace the sausage meat in a bowl , stir in the onion and cranberry mixture.Stir in the mixed herbs, sage,salt and pepper, make sure that all the ingredients are well combined. Place the bowl in the fridge until needed and also to allow the dry ingredients to rehydrate a little.

Complete making the pastry, flour the work surface, remove the pastry from the fridge and form into a rough rectangle.

Roll out the pastry to approximately 20 x 40cm.Fold into three and give a quarter turnRoll again into a 20 x40cm rectangle and fold into 3 again.Wrap the pastry in cling film and chill in the fridge for 30 minutesRepeat the above turning ( another 2 turns ), a total of 4 turns.Wrap the pastry in cling film and chill in the fridge for 30 minutes or up to one hour if you are able to. The pastry may be frozen at this point if you wish but defrost thoroughly before using.When you wish to make the sausage rolls allow the pastry and the sausage meat mixture to sit on the work top to warm up a little.

To make the sausage rollsPlace the egg yolk in a small bowl and add the 3 teaspoons of water and few grains of salt( the salt helps break down the egg so it brushes on easily to form an even glaze).Place two baking sheets into the hot oven as the sausage rolls will rise more quickly if placed on hot baking sheets.

Lightly flour the work surface and roll out the pastry to a 20 x 40cm rectangle, make a horizontal cut to create 2 equal rectangles.With a pastry brush brush a little water along the long bottom edge of the pastry.

Place half the sausage mixture into a piping bag and cut about 3 cm from the point of the bag.Pipe a line of sausage meat along the middle of a rectangle of pastry, refill the bag and pipe along the middle of the second piece of pastry.Lift the top edge of the pastry and wrap it over the filling, continue to roll the pastry completely encasing the filling. Turn the pastry over so the edge of the pastry is now on top. With your thumb press down the edge twisting your thumb a little to seal the edge then turn over so the edge is now on the work surface.Repeat with the second rectangle of pastry, you will now have two long sausage rolls.Brush off any excess flour from the pastry before brushing the tops only with egg yolk. Do not brush right around the roll as the egg wash will stop the pastry from rising.

Using the yoghurt pot and a sharp serrated knife mark each long roll of pastry into approximately 6 equal sausage rolls. Using a sawing motion cut each sausage roll ( if you use a sawing motion it doesn’t squash the layers in the pastry) Repeat with the second piece of pastry.With a pair of scissors snip 4 equal little incisions in the top of each sausage roll.

Remove the hot baking sheets from the oven and place the sausage rolls well spaced onto the sheets and then return the sheets to the oven .Bake for 15 minutes before checking whether they are ready, the pastry should be well risen and golden. Look carefully at the pastry nearest to the sausage meat it should looked baked, layers of pastry should be developed and there should not be a grey mass of uncooked pastry.Usually it will take 20- 25 minutes for them to be fully baked.

Remove from the oven and place onto a cooling rack to cool.

The sausage rolls can be served hot straight from the oven or they can be served cold.​Store in an airtight box in the fridge until needed or place them in the freezer, they keep well for 3 months.